Instrument to screen cases of pervasive developmental disorder: a preliminary indication of validity.

Objective: To translate into Portuguese, back-translate, culturally adapt and validate a screening instrument for pervasive developmental disorder, the Autism Screening Questionnaire, for use in Brazil.

Method: A sample of 120 patients was selected based on three groups of 40: patients with a clinical diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder, Down syndrome, or other psychiatric disorders. The self-administered questionnaire was applied to the patients' legal guardians.

[The neurobiological bases of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome].

Objective: To describe and discuss evidence-based articles on the neurobiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome.

Sources Of Data: A review of the most relevant papers on the phenomenology, neuroanatomy, neuroimaging, genetic and immunological aspects of these two disorders was performed.

Summary Of The Findings: Ritualistic behaviors and repetitive thoughts have been extensively studied in the last years.